Once part of Iran’s underground scene, several female Iranian singers have become more daring of late. They’ve shrugged off their headscarves, sometimes swapping them for outrageous hairstyles. They go for bold make-up. They’ve also started posting their music videos online, where anyone can see them. What’s most remarkable of all, however, is that Iranian authorities seem to be letting them do it.

In 2013, I wrote an article about how these same female singers were going to great lengths to hide their faces and identities in their music videos.

READ : Women skirt Iranian music ban with fancy dress

However, these days, it’s all different.

First, though, a little history: after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Sharia law was introduced in Iran and it became illegal for women to sing. During the 1980s and 90s, the only female voices that you could hear on the radio were those of Iranian female singers who lived in exile in the United States.

But the situation evolved starting in the early 2000s. A new generation of female singers, all of whom were born in Iran, started recording their own music in underground studios and sharing it. Then, these same singers started releasing music videos along with their songs. For a long time, however, the identity of these singers — as well as their faces — were hidden.

Then, in 2013, things began to change.

In this video — first released in 2013 — a singer called Justina shows her face, even though she is still wearing a headscarf.

Initially published on France24 on 09/15/2017
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